We Can Do Better
I’m writing this a few days before the election. By the time it’s published, we still may not know who won. Whatever you think of this administration, you have to confess, it has inspired people to get out and vote!
We are blessed to live in the United States of America. We are a nation of laws and leaders, each selected and elected by the influence of our vote. Our founders had the insight to create a system of governance designed to bring unity from diversity, to move with the masses while protecting the minority from the tyranny of the majority. We’re familiar with the words of the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” A character of Aaron Sorkin’s once mused, “Strange as it may seem, that was the first time in history that anyone had ever bothered to write that down.”
Through the lens of history, our faults and failures are easy to find. So too are our most noble achievements. But success is not what makes America great, nor do our failures invalidate the significance of our endeavors. Another Sorkin character continues, “…America is the only country on the planet that, since its birth, has said over and over and over that we can do better.”
And we can. Long have I believed that faith does not require government approval. Yet consider how much stronger a nation can be as people of faith engage in selfless acts of service. Consider the governments described in the history of the Bible. Abraham was a tribal patriarch. Joseph functioned as the Prime Minister of Egypt, a monarchal theocracy. David was a king. Daniel served a dictator. Jesus and Paul both lived in the Roman Empire. Christianity has found its greatest proliferation in the representative republic of the United States, and at the same time advances underground in closed communist nations like China.
It may be tempting to feel befuddled by the politics of our day. Rather than working together, we demagogue our opposition. We create ever-widening rifts to increase our base, get elected, and do it the way we want it done. But we can do better.
The way is simple yet profound, and it’s not found in the White House or the courthouse. It’s found in the faith of people like you and me. Jesus Christ is the hope of the world, and as the song says, “…the government shall be upon His shoulders.” That’s not about establishing religion or legislating belief. It’s about the power of God to transform your life as you walk with Him. It’s about, as much as is up to you, living peaceably with all people. It’s about coming together to use who you are and what you have for the benefit of others. It’s about raising better leaders because we have become better people.
However this election turns out, whatever our future may hold, place your faith in Jesus Christ. May we continue in the glorious tradition of our nation and do better.
Originally written for the Owasso Reporter.
